SB Performing Arts League's Blog

Adapted and directed by UCSB faculty member Irwin Appel. Director Irwin Appel shares thoughts on this familiar classic and UCSB's production: "Hamlet is a very modern tale. It raises relevant questions about the meaning of life, thought vs. action and what reckoning might be waiting for us after this life. At the same time, it is an almost medieval tale; it is a play about castles and ghosts, heaven and hell. We have chosen to set our production in a timeless vein, with gothic and modern elements mixed in an eclectic style. We want the audience to be continually reminded that this is both a contemporary and an ancient story. We use very few scenic elements; instead we take advantage of the size and scope of the Hatlen Theater and the opportunities to use light and shadow to define space and time..."

Explore the emotions of Traditional Irish Music This Thursday Night at Dargan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant – 18 E. Ortega This Sunday Night at The James Joyce – 513 State Street Both Performances are Free.

When Joel Rafael, opens the Ribbon of Highway Endless Skyway (RHES) show with narration about riding the rails, he does so to set the proverbial stage. Rafael gives the listener a quick crib sheet to prepare them for their journey. When Jimmy LaFave starts singing “This Train is Bound for Glory,” the audience has now grabbed a hold of the passing rail, headed into Woody Guthrie’s mind for the next few hours. All of the artists involved (Jimmy LaFave, Eliza Gilkyson, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, and Joel Rafael) have the emotional and intellectual ability to articulate Guthrie’s thoughts. The show runs the gamut of Woody’s music and writings through the Dust Bowl years, and touching down as well on his musings about New York and

California . The show travels the trains, takes you to a deli in NYC, revels in timeless words about love and war, and leaves the audience standing as they celebrate the life and writings of a one of the greatest American troubadours.

As part of A Woman’s Voice series. With a unique musical range incorporating her breathy folk sensibility, Motown influences, and classic rock styling, Rickie Lee Jones, the “Duchess of Coolsville,” proves she’s no slave to convention. This May, Rickie Lee offers Lobero audiences a chance to experience a never-before-attempted journey through her early works by performing her debut self-titled album, Rickie Lee Jones, and its critically-acclaimed follow-up, Pirates, live in their entirety with a full band. Many of these songs will be performed for the first time in decades and never before have these two landmark records been performed back-to-back with their original instrumentation.